Chapter 76: Joanna

It was deep winter. Ace and Daina braved the ice and snow, their breath visible in the cold air. They relied on snow sticks given by kind people of the North, gliding on thick ice layers until they reached the foot of the hill.

The two looked up at the majestic fortress on the hill. The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the scattered patches of color. They took off their sledges and slung them over their backs. Dressed in thick fur-made Northern attire, they used their snow sticks to climb toward the top of the hill.

By the time they reached the South Gate, the sun was about to set.

A squad of soldiers, holding standard short swords in their right hands and standard round shields in their left, and wearing leather armor that provided both warmth and defense, guarded the fortress gate.

“Strangers, please show your identification!” the tall, thin soldier leading the squad said. A red tassel marked him as the squad leader.

“If you are a Noble, please display your coat of arms; if you are a Citizen, please show your badge; if you are a public official, please also show your badge; if you are a Freeman, please present the ceramic token issued by the Royal City.”

Another soldier walked toward the two. He was a somewhat weathered man with the characteristic high-altitude blush on his face and a full, untrimmed, messy beard, which reminded Ace of his father, Romon.

If Romon were still a soldier, he would probably look like this, Ace thought.

The man studied the badges for a while. After confirming they were genuine, he reported to the leader and received two ceramic tokens from him.

“These are temporary passes for the Northern March Fortress, valid for three months. If you wish to apply for long-term residency, please go to the Fortress Public Office.” He handed the two irregular ceramic tokens, which were branded with an eagle and a flag to them.

“My name is Solon. I am very familiar with the Northern March Fortress. If you need anything, you can find me. As long as the Silver Thales are adequate, I live in the first alley on the right side of the city gate.”

He winked at the two in a low voice, then turned and rejoined his squad.

Ace and Daina entered the Northern March Fortress. It was already evening. They first checked into an affordable inn in the fortress, taking two rooms for temporary residence.

“Tomorrow morning, let’s go check out Solon’s residence. We are strangers here, and hiring a local expert might be a good option” Ace said to Daina.

“What are you planning to do?” Daina asked, somewhat confused.

“I need to quickly establish my reputation. Before I was a Wizard Apprentice, I was a physician. I want to establish a hospital here in the Northern Marches, and that requires fame. After I establish the hospital, we can then explore the Northern Marches together and research Monsters,” Ace explained.

“I understand. Then tomorrow, I will go to the nearby Monster Hunter camps to scout the situation and pave the way. Once you are ready, we can leave together,” Daina said to Ace with a big smile.

Early the next morning, Ace and Daina separated. Ace went alone to look for Solon. He walked into the first alley on the right side of the South Gate, which was somewhat gloomy.

A little girl, wearing thick fur clothes and bundled up like a small sphere was running happily there.

Ace offered his standard kindly smile and asked the little girl. “Little sister, can you tell me where Solon’s house is?”

The running little girl looked at Ace cautiously. She shook her head fiercely, like a spinning top and said, “Joanna won’t tell you where Solon’s house is. Uncle Solon said that people who smile with squinty eyes are not good people.”

Ace’s expression immediately dropped, and his mouth twitched slightly. This Solon really knows how to teach kids. Ace suddenly wanted to give him a good beating.

Rune structures flickered in Ace’s eyes. The Soul Spell Suggestion activated. Accompanied by the rhythm of Mana, Ace said in a trustworthy voice: “Little sister, I am Solon’s friend, not a bad person. Will you tell me now?”

Joanna’s eyes remained clear. She was completely unaffected by Ace and said firmly: “You are lying! And your eyes are flashing. It’s scary! Joanna is afraid!”

With that, she hopped and ran away, darting into a nearby courtyard.

Ace’s expression grew serious. This was highly unusual. In his perception, Joanna had nothing special about her, except for her mental power, which appeared exceptionally pure.

Could this pure mental power or soul grant immunity to Charm spells?

Ace followed Joanna into the courtyard.

“Uncle, Uncle! There’s a bad guy! A bad guy is bullying Joanna!”

The little girl ran, wiping her tears, stealing glances through her fingers.

“Who dares to bully our little Joanna? Uncle is here.” Solon, wearing casual clothes and carrying his sword and shield, rushed out of the house.

Ace saw Solon, and bowed elegantly while said, “Mr. Solon, I have come to seek your help.”

Solon saw Ace, awkwardly dropped his sword and shield to the ground, and then laughed loudly: “Hahaha, Scholar Ace! This is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Joanna, hurry back inside. Uncle needs to talk business with Scholar Ace.”

Joanna listened to Solon, ran inside and slammed the door shut.

Just as Solon was about to speak to Ace, the door creaked open again, revealing Joanna’s little head.

“Uncle, this squinty-eyed man’s eyes flash. He’s very scary. You need to be careful.”

Solon looked at Joanna, who slammed the door shut again, and smiled dotingly. “This child is a little shy around strangers. Please don’t take offense, Scholar Ace. This place is not suitable for conversation. How about we go to the nearby tavern for a drink and talk slowly?”

Ace smiled at Solon, making him feel a little uneasy. He said, “Of course, no problem. Please lead the way.”

The two arrived at the tavern. The lights were dim. Ace paid 2 Silver Thales. They took a small private room and ordered roasted chicken, roasted lamb leg, pan-fried foie gras, and other dishes, and asked for two jars of Shaojiu.

“This Shaojiu is truly excellent. I hear it is produced in the Royal City and is especially suited for people in the Northern Marches. Our Northern March has year-round snow and bone-chilling winds. Warming a jar of Shaojiu and drinking it makes your whole body feel clear!”

Solon used a knife to cut off a small piece of foie gras, speared it with a fork, chewed it vigorously, washed it down with a gulp of Shaojiu, and closed his eyes in savor.

Ace didn’t mind. He knew Solon was trying to get a free large meal out of him. But Ace not only wanted to hire Solon but also wanted to uncover Joanna’s secret. The Northern Marches are indeed interesting.

Ace tore off a piece of roasted chicken leg and chewed it heartily.

The two made small talk for a while. Solon suddenly said loudly: “You want to make a name for yourself, and you want to do it immediately?”

“Yes. Do you have any good ideas?” Ace asked with a smile. He had initially sought Solon to understand the general situation in the Northern Marches. Over the course of their drinks, he had already gathered most of the information he needed.

He was more interested in Joanna. To reduce Solon’s vigilance, he gave him a task. Having a transaction would make Solon feel more secure.

“Let me think. Making a name for yourself is no problem. Leave it to me. But I need to know what skills you possess, what kind of reputation you want to build, and whether you have enough Gold Thales!”

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